IAU designated constellations by area

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) designates 88 constellations of stars. In the table below, they are ranked by the solid angle that they subtend in the sky, measured in square degrees and millisteradians.

Hydra is the largest constellation, covering more than 132 of the night sky.

These solid angles depend on arbitrary boundaries between the constellations: the list below is based on constellation boundaries drawn up by Eugène Delporte in 1930 on behalf of the IAU and published in Délimitation scientifique des constellations (Cambridge University Press). Before Delporte's work, there was no standard list of the boundaries of each constellation.

Delporte drew the boundaries along vertical and horizontal lines of right ascension and declination; however, he did so for the epoch B1875.0, which means that due to precession of the equinoxes, the borders on a modern star map (e.g., for epoch J2000) are already somewhat skewed and no longer perfectly vertical or horizontal. This skew will increase over the centuries to come. However, this does not change the solid angle of any constellation.

Rank Abbrev. Constellation Solid angle
("Area")
(sq. deg.) [1]
Solid angle
(millisteradians)
Per­cent­age Right ascension
(hours & mins) [2]
Decli­nation
(degs & mins) [3]
Quad [4]
01HyaHydra1302.844396.8693.16%+11 36.73−14 31.91SQ2
02VirVirgo1294.428394.3053.14%+13 24.39−04 09.51SQ3
03UMaUrsa Major1279.660389.8073.10%+11 18.76+50 43.27NQ2
04CetCetus1231.411375.1092.99%+01 40.10−07 10.76SQ1
05HerHercules1225.148373.2012.97%+17 23.16+27 29.93NQ3
06EriEridanus1137.919346.6302.76%+03 18.02−28 45.37SQ1
07PegPegasus1120.794341.4132.72%+22 41.84+19 27.98NQ4
08DraDraco1082.952329.8862.63%+15 08.64+67 00.40NQ3
09CenCentaurus1060.422323.0232.57%+13 04.27−47 20.72SQ3
10AqrAquarius979.854298.4812.38%+22 17.38−10 47.35SQ4
11OphOphiuchus948.340288.8812.30%+17 23.69−07 54.74SQ3
12LeoLeo946.964288.4622.30%+10 40.03+13 08.32NQ2
13BooBoötes906.831276.2372.20%+14 42.64+31 12.16NQ3
14PscPisces889.417270.9322.16%+00 28.97+13 41.23NQ1
15SgrSagittarius867.432264.2352.10%+19 05.94−28 28.61SQ4
16CygCygnus803.983244.9071.95%+20 35.28+44 32.70NQ4
17TauTaurus797.249242.8561.93%+04 42.13+14 52.63NQ1
18CamCamelopardalis756.828230.5431.83%+08 51.37+69 22.89NQ2
19AndAndromeda722.278220.0181.75%+00 48.46+37 25.91NQ1
20PupPuppis673.434205.1401.63%+07 15.48−31 10.64SQ2
21AurAuriga657.438200.2671.59%+06 04.42+42 01.68NQ2
22AqlAquila652.473198.7551.58%+19 40.02+03 24.65NQ4
23SerSerpens[5] 636.928194.0191.54%+16 57.04+06 07.32NQ3
24PerPerseus614.997187.3391.49%+03 10.50+45 00.79NQ1
25CasCassiopeia598.407182.2851.45%+01 19.16+62 11.04NQ1
26OriOrion594.120180.9791.44%+05 34.59+05 56.94NQ1
27CepCepheus587.787179.0501.42%+02 32.64+71 00.51NQ4
28LynLynx545.386166.1341.32%+07 59.53+47 28.00NQ2
29LibLibra538.052163.9001.30%+15 11.96−15 14.08SQ3
30GemGemini513.761156.5011.25%+07 04.24+22 36.01NQ2
31CncCancer505.872154.0971.23%+08 38.96+19 48.35NQ2
32VelVela499.649152.2021.21%+09 34.64−47 10.03SQ2
33ScoScorpius496.783151.3291.20%+16 53.24−27 01.89SQ3
34CarCarina494.184150.5371.20%+08 41.70−63 13.16SQ2
35MonMonoceros481.569146.6941.17%+07 03.63+00 16.93NQ2
36SclSculptor474.764144.6211.15%+00 26.28−32 05.30SQ1
37PhePhoenix469.319142.9631.14%+00 55.91−48 34.84SQ1
38CVnCanes Venatici465.194141.7061.13%+13 06.96+40 06.11NQ3
39AriAries441.395134.4571.07%+02 38.16+20 47.54NQ1
40CapCapricornus413.947126.0951.00%+21 02.93−18 01.39SQ4
41ForFornax397.502121.0860.96%+02 47.88−31 38.07SQ1
42ComComa Berenices386.475117.7270.94%+12 47.27+23 18.34NQ3
43CMaCanis Major380.118115.7910.92%+06 49.74−22 08.42SQ2
44PavPavo377.666115.0440.92%+19 36.71−65 46.89SQ4
45GruGrus365.513111.3420.89%+22 27.39−46 21.11SQ4
46LupLupus333.683101.6460.81%+15 13.21−42 42.53SQ3
47SexSextans313.51595.5020.76%+10 16.29−02 36.88SQ2
48TucTucana294.55789.7270.71%+23 46.64−65 49.80SQ4
49IndIndus294.00689.5590.71%+21 58.33−59 42.40SQ4
50OctOctans291.04588.6570.71%+23 00.00−82 09.12SQ4
51LepLepus290.29188.4280.70%+05 33.95−19 02.78SQ1
52LyrLyra286.47687.2660.69%+18 51.17+36 41.36NQ4
53CrtCrater282.39886.0230.68%+11 23.75−15 55.74SQ2
54ColColumba270.18482.3030.65%+05 51.76−35 05.67SQ1
55VulVulpecula268.16581.6880.65%+20 13.88+24 26.56NQ4
56UMiUrsa Minor255.86477.9410.62%+15 00.00+77 41.99NQ3
57TelTelescopium251.51276.6150.61%+19 19.54−51 02.21SQ4
58HorHorologium248.88575.8150.60%+03 16.56−53 20.18SQ1
59PicPictor246.73975.1610.60%+05 42.46−53 28.45SQ1
60PsAPiscis Austrinus245.37574.7450.59%+22 17.07−30 38.53SQ4
61HyiHydrus243.03574.0330.59%+02 20.65−69 57.39SQ1
62AntAntlia238.90172.7730.58%+10 16.43−32 29.01SQ2
63AraAra237.05772.2120.57%+17 22.49−56 35.30SQ3
64LMiLeo Minor231.95670.6580.56%+10 14.72+32 08.08NQ2
65PyxPyxis220.83367.2700.54%+08 57.16−27 21.10SQ2
66MicMicroscopium209.51363.8210.51%+20 57.88−36 16.49SQ4
67ApsApus206.32762.8510.50%+16 08.65−75 18.00SQ3
68LacLacerta200.68861.1330.49%+22 27.68+46 02.51NQ4
69DelDelphinus188.54957.4350.46%+20 41.61+11 40.26NQ4
70CrvCorvus183.80155.9890.45%+12 26.52−18 26.20SQ3
71CMiCanis Minor183.36755.8570.44%+07 39.17+06 25.63NQ2
72DorDorado179.17354.5790.43%+05 14.51−59 23.22SQ1
73CrBCorona Borealis178.71054.4380.43%+15 50.59+32 37.49NQ3
74NorNorma165.29050.3500.40%+15 54.18−51 21.09SQ3
75MenMensa153.48446.7540.37%+05 24.90−77 30.24SQ1
76VolVolans141.35443.0590.34%+07 47.73−69 48.07SQ2
77MusMusca138.35542.1450.34%+12 35.28−70 09.66SQ3
78TriTriangulum131.84740.1630.32%+02 11.07+31 28.56NQ1
79ChaChamaeleon131.59240.0850.32%+10 41.53−79 12.30SQ2
80CrACorona Australis127.69638.8980.31%+18 38.79−41 08.85SQ4
81CaeCaelum124.86538.0360.30%+04 42.27−37 52.90SQ1
82RetReticulum113.93634.7070.28%+03 55.27−59 59.85SQ1
83TrATriangulum Australe109.97833.5010.27%+16 04.95−65 23.28SQ3
84SctScutum109.11433.2380.26%+18 40.39−09 53.32SQ4
85CirCircinus93.35328.4370.23%+14 34.54−63 01.82SQ3
86SgeSagitta79.93224.3490.19%+19 39.05+18 51.68NQ4
87EquEquuleus71.64121.8230.17%+21 11.26+07 45.49NQ4
88CruCrux68.44720.8500.17%+12 26.99−60 11.19SQ3
Notes
  1. The total solid angle of all constellations is the total solid angle of the sky, which is exactly 4π steradians, or 4π × (180/π)2 = 129,600/π square degrees, or approximately 41,252.961 square degrees. The figures in the table do not sum precisely to this number due to rounding errors, which vanish when the areas are rounded instead to one decimal place.
  2. Average of the most eastward and most westward RA.
  3. Average of the most northern and most southern declination.
  4. "Quad" designates the quadrant of the sky as N for North or S for South, Quadrants 1 (0h 6h ), 2 (6h 12h ), 3 (12h 18h ), or 4 (18h 0h ).
  5. Serpens is divided into two parts:
    Serpens Caput ("Serpent's Head"; 428.484 sq. deg.; midpoint: RA: 15 46.49, Dec: +10 58.20), and
    Serpens Cauda ("Serpent's Tail"; 208.444 sq. deg.; midpoint: RA: 18 07.60, Dec: -04 51.73)

See also

Sources

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